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Henry C. Dwight School: A Brief History
By Mrs. Claughton Miller
The Henry C. Dwight School is one of Hartford’s oldest operating schools. Dwight School has always been a school that celebrates diverse cultures in our school community and shines with academic excellence.
Henry Cecil Dwight was born in Northampton, MA on January 19, 1841. He enlisted in the army at the time of the Civil War and rose through the ranks. “At the time his enlistment expired (on) September 28, 1864…” i H. C. Dwight reached the rank of captain and in later service, an army general. “Shortly after returning from the war, Captain Dwight became a resident of Hartford, Connecticut.” ii H. C. Dwight became a successful businessman, an education advocate for the children of the South District and a political activist. In 1890, Henry C. Dwight was elected to a two year term as mayor of Hartford. During his term the daily life of all city residents improved through a modern water supply, fire protection and a city government that had “…a businesslike administration…(that) never play(ed) politics,… and (was) … very …interest(ed) in educational matters…” iii
Dwight School is made up of two buildings, the earliest built c. 1885, and the second built in 1901. The first building “has walls laid with several different colors of masonry in an effect known as permanent or structural polychromy, a hallmark of the High Victorian Gothic style.” iv The school was originally named the Wethersfield Avenue School and renamed the Henry C. Dwight School to honor General Dwight’s contributions to the City of Hartford. Today, the H. C. Dwight School continues to stand tall on Wethersfield Avenue showing our students how to reach for the stars.
i Hart, S. et. al., Encyclopedia of Connecticut Biography: Genealogical Memorial, Representative Citizens. The American Historical Society, New York: 1917, p. 262.
ii Ibid. p. 261.
iii Ibid. p. 262.
iv Kummer, M., ed , Hartford Architecture, Volume Two: South Neighborhoods. Hartford Architecture Conservancy Survey: 1980, p. 132.
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